Interview with Cinematographer Luisa Mendoza

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[00:00:57] Once again, gang, I have no shortage of talking to different filmmakers, editors, cinematographers, and lo and behold, we have the latter tonight. We have Luisa Mendoza. She has been so fortunate to have AMS Pictures as a client, but she's also shot for just so many people, including NFL Films. And she's utilized everything from the Panasonic Vericam LT to the whole Canon camera line. So welcome. Thanks for having me. Also, all the Aries, because now NFL Films is all into the Aries.

[00:01:27] It is so wild, though, too, that I had a professor who was like, who was out of it back in 2010s. They're always going to shoot on film. I was like, no, no, that's just the name. It's just the name. Yeah, but I mean, honestly, they didn't switch over till 2016. I was pretty impressed with that. They hung on till they bury it. It was pretty much like all the other shows to where they're like, hey, everyone's doing it. We can't justify it anymore.

[00:01:50] No, and the storage and yeah, you just can't. I mean, especially I can't imagine how much film processing went up because you're the only ones doing it. I mean, I'm sure they own their own lab, but I was using the Filmic Pro before about the same time Soderbergh was popularizing it. And everyone was like, you lunatic. No one's ever going to shoot anything on their phone. It's like, well, if you know how to use the app and you still have a lot of gaffing and sound crew, you can do anything.

[00:02:16] But let's start at the top of the show where you came into this. Did you fall into this by accident or were you always? Honestly, I kind of did because I thought, well, not really because I thought I was going into advertising and marketing. Ultimately, as a teenager, I wanted to manage bands. I thought I was going to be a high end manager at rock bands. I was going to fly all over the world. I can see that. You kind of have a rock star for several years. Thanks.

[00:02:41] And then I started shooting silly music videos that at the time I didn't even think anything of for my friends' bands in high school and in college. And then I went into advertising and marketing because my parents said, there's no you know, you can't be in rock and roll, blah, blah, blah. So keep in mind, you know, everybody has this back story.

[00:03:01] But, you know, just for those doubters or current Gen Y or Gen Z, whatever we're on now is like, OK, parents don't do this out of deceit or because they don't care. They're no, they really are doing it because they care. They know the best. Yeah, they think they know what's best for you. They didn't know anyone. You had to have a corporate job if you weren't working for – OK, I'm going to date myself back in St. Louis. It was Ross and Prina, Anheuser-Busch before it was sold. And, you know, if you weren't at a big company, they didn't know what you were doing and they didn't understand it.

[00:03:31] And I honestly think my parents didn't understand what I did until I could call them and said, turn on HGTV. I shot this. And then I don't even think then I think they don't even think they got it. They just thought I ran off and joined the circus. But I did get a degree in advertising. And so you were a Missouri gal? Yeah, I am. Born and raised up there. I actually know a few pals. And, you know, I'm – you know how it is in Texas here.

[00:03:57] It's like you like parts of a state even though it has sometimes some backwards logic and laws and you just say, hey, I'll make it work here. But I was listening to a recent interview with the great Donny Fauntleroy who's done everything. He was like second unit on T2 and then went on to work on, you know, Jeepers Creepers and directed to B-movies. But he had a good statement where he talked about how all the studios used to have their own cameras.

[00:04:26] And then around like 92, they were like just get rid of them, sell them, and then have the others just rent out the cameras from Panasonic and what have you. And by the time you're coming into this, when did you enter the – So I entered in the 2000s, you know, so beta cam was still a thing and those were still expensive cameras. And, you know, AMS had a bunch of them and then, you know, you started seeing that evolution pretty quick. I mean I'm lucky we got to shoot commercials on 16.

[00:04:56] I know how to load. I've done 35 and 16 and I came up through that route. But, yeah, so it was the beta cams and then it was changing over to the first – the very first baricam. And it was the race to see who got one of those first in DFW. And, you know, I'll never forget just that, you know, it's like you go to the cards and you're like, oh my god, I'm going to download this card and then I'm going to erase it. You know, you're so used to hold on to tapes because you had all these DB tapes. And I guess you went to DB first and that made it more accessible. Digital video, yeah. Yeah, you know, so it's like they did start to get small.

[00:05:26] I thought we were going to keep doing Polaroids. I thought cameras were going to be the boring old Nokia that's a small screen. I did not expect that. You need to be a skeptic when you're seeing people use it the wrong way. I mean, that's kind of the argument we're having with AI. I was like, oh, people are – you know, I had a good family. It was like absolutely no cameras at the table, you know, phones. But, you know, we're going to be social. We're going to be people.

[00:05:52] But now, you know, you can do whatever else when, you know, you're done washing the dishes. But it's so funny how – yeah, now that we've gone past the skepticism of how to use a camera, the right ways to use it, how to avoid scams, how to use it properly for social media and corporate and, you know, your even portfolio. You know, this is like at your fingertips. I tell that to the college. I speak to a lot of the colleges around here. I'm on the board of directors for Collin County College, too, their video production department. Oh, how awesome.

[00:06:21] And I tell those kids that. I'm like, man, you've got all these lights sitting around here and you've got a phone that will shoot better than anything I started on. I'm like, if you're not making your reels and stuff or you're not doing demos right now, you know, set up interviews. They don't have to be – like everybody wants to see your interview reel. Absolutely. Really. Like if you want to work in corporate or anything right off the bat, you need an interview reel. Do headshots. But you've got a phone that shoots better than half the cameras I grew up with. I still have amateur video taken of like old like bodybuilding and wrestling matches.

[00:06:51] I'll use it. Remastered somewhere along the way. But yeah, it's so funny how people will just cling on to stuff and then be like, I've got to get rid of it. It's like, well, now that it's on your drive, get rid of it where? Yeah. It's always out there. Plug in your fifth drive with, you know, X amount of terabytes, you know. It's like you don't have to get rid of anything. No, it's great. And, you know, but it is, you know, the tools we have now. I mean, and the point of entry is just your phone, right?

[00:07:15] I mean, if you do it right with lighting and you get decent, you know, good mic that, you know, just spend a little time learning how to use it. And, you know, all the gatekeeping is gone now. You know, when I was coming up in it, it's like, you know, you had to have an agent. You had to get to a studio. You had to get you couldn't get it out there. Now everything's out there. There's word of mouth is like, just look at my resume. If you like what you see. Now it's beyond that. It's like, yes, you I'm sure everyone has the battle of that.

[00:07:42] You can say I worked for, you know, they just want to, you know, they want to go to your IG and that's, you know, and see what you're doing. And that's where it's got to be. And you meet them where it's at. And there's and there's actually a lot of people, you know, because I am in the older set. But I stay current because I have younger cousins that I'm really close with. And but there's a lot of older people in my age range that aren't that couldn't make that switch. They didn't. I mean, they don't know how to advertise themselves. And then and are they afraid? They're like, oh, I'm social media. It's like, well, if you're not on it, you're not getting a job.

[00:08:11] I'm sorry. So totally even micro budget productions is like that's going to change. Big budget can still find some in between point. People are like, oh, DVD and Blu-ray went away. It's like, yeah, but content purchasers will always be there. You just have to go at a different mixer, you know? Yeah, exactly. And it's it's great. And I tell everybody, it's like your your lack of hustle is the only thing keeping you from getting your stuff out there.

[00:08:40] It's like because it's it's can get out there. It's sad if you don't try. And at the same time, don't we're not saying go out and make a fool of yourself. Right. Like. Yeah. Make some content. Put it out there. Keep keep plugging at it. My peers look over it and you're like, yeah, yeah. That word's distracting me. I'm getting hung up on that. That might be a problem in the right. Right. If you get to the next stage of the board. Yeah.

[00:09:05] But, you know, you have, you know, find good people around you that will give you, you know, real good criticism, like, you know, constructive criticism and then learn how to take it. No, everybody wants to see each other succeed. So it's like we've all made the mistake. And you'll know who doesn't want us to succeed. Yeah. They're saying such snobby things. It's like, well, I hope I don't see you again. Right. It's like, no, I want to work with you. I don't know you. It's like you didn't know me. Right. And do you remember that, too? It's like I have, you know, just, you know, AMS.

[00:09:34] Look at look at how many people come and go through AMS. Like how big that company was here in Dallas and how many people it turned out. I mean, I was there for 17 years. And so the network I had when I went freelance, it was I just I was floored by it. I couldn't believe it. But, you know, it's like how that had happened. But if you're like a professor, I know, worked out there at one point. But now I have people that contact me off, you know, either like I guess if I'm on LinkedIn and stuff like that. I'm like, oh, you'll remember me. I was an intern back in 2002 or 2005.

[00:10:03] Well, I'm producing for this company now and I need some interview shots, you know, in Dallas. Could you do these for me? So, I mean, it's crazy. So you never know. I mean, if you just, you know, if you live, you live trying to help everybody and doing just your darn best every day. And you just and you give good energy out into the world, that's all going to come back to you. And you just never know. The person that is paying for you today could be somehow be the director tomorrow. Everyone deserves a shot. Yeah. They don't know what they're doing.

[00:10:30] You know, if someone else can knock some sense in their head and say, hey, I need a shot list and I'll get you what you need. You know, that's kind of my make it or break it rule is like I need one or the other. If you don't give me a shot list or storyboards, then at least give me a shot script. Right. And what would you make it or break it rule without not asking them name or anything, but just like, well, what is my is like? No, then that's it. You get it. You get it.

[00:10:58] You got to be able to tell me where this is exactly where this is going, what the audience is and what you're looking for out of it, because I don't want to be shooting something for, you know, I think we're making a movie and you're just it's never going to go to anything but YouTube. So there's not that I would give any less to it, but I need to know that, you know, where your audience is at. Right. And then, yes, a clear objective of what we're trying to do. It's like I'm not just going to come out here and shoot for days. I want a script because I can I can do what you want me to. And if you can give me a lookbook, then I'm going all out for you because now I know exactly where we're going.

[00:11:28] Exactly. So the least the less information I get from a client, the more red flags go up. You know, get it out of there. You know, next thing you know, the person might be like, wow, my financer. Yeah, they got a Ponzi scheme. Let me excuse myself and I'll get your number and I'll hook up, call you back when I actually got my everything I need together. Yeah. I mean, yeah. So you try. You don't like some of my best friends.

[00:11:57] We met on just terrible movies. I'll never see the light of day. Yeah. I just had to laugh. It's like, oh, these people were basically. And those are great YouTube skit, but couldn't even keep it the skit in focus. Yeah. Yeah. But usually, like you said, the people around it, you know, usually they're going to get one or two other really good crew members, too. And then you'll go on to like the hurt things and and you go on and make a bigger, better crew. Totally. I mean, but it's fun.

[00:12:26] But those are the those are the ones you never forget, too. And those are the ones that you grow the most on, I think, too. As long as no one. Yeah. Did anything just chaotic to where you're like, dude, burned a bridge is like, yeah, it's fine. Yeah. So, yeah, AMS, you know, by the time I was working with them in the 2010s, they were already doing all the reality stuff for Reels Channel. But prior to that, they were doing all kinds of stuff. Cooking Channel. Yeah, I did the You Live in Watts for them. And then what was the other one I did?

[00:12:55] There was Vera Living. Yeah. Yeah. Very. I did a lot. The Natural Companions did all those shows. I love the pet shows. I prefer the pet show. I prefer the do no harm reality like home cooking or pets. That's like an ultimate like. For lack of a better word, like compromise. It's like, yeah, I mean.

[00:13:19] It's if anything, it's just it's a way of just saying it's like, hey, if you don't like typical reality TV, you'll still like something that just basically just puts you at ease. It's like, yeah, I can put this on. No one got hurt. Right. Exactly. And it's, you know, and ultimately it's a little feel good content. I mean, like who doesn't love a cooking show? Who doesn't love to watch somebody build something or transform a house? And then, you know, and then again, the pets. It's like, I'll do any pet show you got out there. Right. So, yeah.

[00:13:48] And that's just where I got because, you know, everybody's done their time on like Housewives and all that stuff. And it's just so crazy. And I had one really bad MTV pilot that we shot and it was just awful from concept to just how they did it. You just felt so sleazy. Like you want to go home and just take a shower every night as you finish shooting because it was so coarse and it was just so wrong. And it was just I didn't want that content out in the world. But here we are shooting it anyway.

[00:14:17] And, you know, you just hold your nose and do those for the check. But then you're like, oh, that's what that's when I turned to like, no, that's it. I'm just a home show. I unfortunately had some TV shows I was doing extra work on and I would keep meeting a production assistant and assistant hairdresser who were talking smack about stuff they're on. I'm like, guys, this is out in the open. We can all hear you within hearing distance. Don't do that, please. Yeah. I never get that, but you just get in and out. I get that you don't like it, but yeah. Well, yeah.

[00:14:46] Let's go out for a smoke break and then you can tell me that, you know? Right. Yeah. You got to be careful. I want to be somewhere better than the name. Yeah. Don't we all don't say, oh, this stupid doesn't know their line. I'm like, well, I get that. That's not cool. But like one of the it's not going to take long before a second assistant director goes around the corner and hears you saying that. Yeah. And even if he's thinking and it doesn't do anything, it's kind of like I'm not saying live in fear, but it's like, oh, you just get it. I mean, you just can't be that way.

[00:15:16] I mean, you construct them, you know, or just, you know, I'd go by that rule. If you can't say something nice, probably you shouldn't say it at all. Just in that context. Wait till you get home. Then to somebody at home, your dog, your husband, your wife, your partner, whatever. It's like that's probably the better place to do that. I used to do some movie blogging and eventually I got to a bigger one. And the next thing you know, I was trying out for a few others and they wanted only clickbait. I'm like, that ain't me. Right.

[00:15:40] The one prior was like, if you have nothing nice to say about that, don't post the review because my friend happens to be one of those directors. I'm like, well, then how's he going to learn, buddy? It came from me, not you. Right. And yeah, if you do it the right way and it's constructive. I just gave it a two out of five and said it doesn't quite come together. Yeah. Well, can you raise it to a free? I'm like, no. The point won't be met.

[00:16:09] It's just. Yeah. Not ready for prime time is what I meant to say. But yeah, I mean. And at the same time, yes. Making disclaimers like I could not do this better. Here's my suggestion, though. So. But yeah, AMS was around from 82. What did you do in between? Because like you had so many other great clients. You had. Well, so I mean, I got lucky. And the planet. Yeah. I mean, I got lucky right out of the bat off that.

[00:16:35] Like I said, there was such a huge network of people out there that I didn't realize, you know, that had come and gone through AMS and were now all embedded in other bigger places. But, you know, right away, I got picked up on some other HGTV shows. Like I got to do the backstories for House Hunter International for like two or three seasons on that. That was a lot of fun. In the late 90s? No, I didn't. I started in the 90s. I didn't come into AMS until like 98. Okay. And that's when I started. Yeah. So I was in school the rest of it up until then.

[00:17:05] Still doing, you know, doing, you know, my. Like I was still trying to figure it out and doing internships at different ad agencies. And then I met a crew like out shooting the ad. And I was like, those are my people. I can. And the commercials you'll definitely remember. Because they'll re-air it a few years later. Yeah. If you go on for 10 years, they'll be like, hey, that's what we just did. So, but it was just, it was the people involved in like in the crew side versus like in the office side. It was just night and day. And I'm like, oh, these are my people.

[00:17:34] I can say a movie line. Somebody's going to answer me. It's amazing. This is, this is where I belong. What do you think they quote the most? I always love when I'm on an indie film crew and I do the no, no, no, no, no noise from Caddyshack. And everyone lights up. I'm like, I know you're a comedy movie fan. And you do, oh, airplane. It's always like. Airplane. Oh, got some slasher movie friends. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, all the Blazing Saddles too. It's like.

[00:18:01] Which you probably couldn't make today or even make those, you know, jokes today. Yeah. There are a few others. Yeah. I heard it on 60 Minutes. Oh, we've got ourselves a diehard big guy. Yeah. And it's like even Wayne's World, you know, because that's that's really what this is. When I want when I do do anything on live television, which you do a lot of. And, you know, I just always laugh with like, God, Wayne's World probably got me into all this. That was meta before it was fun to be meta.

[00:18:29] There are so many times where it's like a few bits like stuff that show behind the curtain used. Most of it involved like authors, journalists. Very rare that you saw someone with a boom mic and dolly camera unless it was completely about the movie studios. You know, right. It's so funny. It's a lot of some people know the terms. There's this movie, Fubar, not to be confused with the Arnold movie.

[00:18:58] It's a Canadian film. And I kid you not. I was one extra pal of mine showed. So this is a production assistant. Within minutes, the production system is like, share that to the entire film crew. Text me on that. Because at one point there's a song called boom in the shot. Boom in the shot. Yeah, it's like, yeah, that's the humor. Yeah, exactly. But that's where it's when you share it. Like you sing it like Sade. Yeah, I got it.

[00:19:28] But see, that's what I love. That is what I love about productions. The people that, you know, because you joke, you know, when you're building a crew, you're like, OK, this is going to be a battle. Who do I want to go to war with on this? You know, and you just get your people. Oh, yes, please don't shoot this way at the right frame rate. So but yeah, so when I got out of school and I was so I had done the advertising thing, got my degree from St. Louis University. My friend had just moved to Dallas with her husband.

[00:19:55] And then and then I realized that I wanted to do the video part of everything. So I came down to the Art Institute, went there to finish up. Well, because I had already had a degree, so I didn't need all the basic classes from there. So I just did video production out of there. And then got hired by AMS right out of right out of there. I got lucky. But they were I did. I had done a couple. They called the Art Institute. We need some extra hands on a couple of truck shoots. And, you know, I was down there, you know, building cameras and running cable with the best of them.

[00:20:24] And when it came time, they're like, hey, do you want to internship? I was like, well, yeah. So I got hired right out of that, too. I got lucky. And then that's that started my career. So awesome. Yeah. So and then 2013, I finally went freelance. And that's when I got hooked up with and did a racing series with a buddy of mine.

[00:20:45] We were embedded with the Porsche Cup racing team and traveled all over and shot the races every week and did like little news packages from there. And you just learn as you go. It's so much fun. And it has to be. Yeah. And then you just then, you know, you start building your website and things start bigger, things start happening. And like I said, I got a few more reality shows. And then I got in 2019, I was given that it was a 2019 smart home build for HGTV.

[00:21:15] So I followed that from concrete pour to the very end. I did everything on that. I was embedded with them for three months while they built the house. And then we and I did all the host stand ups as they, you know, as they come in and out. And I don't know, that was just a really great thing. And we had a blast on that. And and then, you know, everybody I don't know who hasn't worked on the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, but you got that show that did a season on that. And but then, you know, in corporate has still filled a lot of my time.

[00:21:43] So I do a lot of stuff for being a sufferer over them over at Toyota a lot with Amos. And, you know, I got in like tomorrow. It's well, it was Fujitsu. Now they've rebranded to one infinity. But that's what I'm doing tomorrow. So corporate I've had this weird mix because I knew so many different types of people where I do live sports. Like I'm part of the in-game presentation for the Dallas Stars. So I'm on the screen show. I'm RF in the in the arena or I'm down on camera three in the corner. But that's because I know the director.

[00:22:11] She used to direct some corporate stuff at Amos and she had an opening. She's like, hey, do you want to be a backup down here? And she got me into that. And I'm one of those rare people. Usually you're in one lane. You're either reality or you're corporate or you're sports. And I just happen to float. My career takes me through all three of them all the time. And it's great. Oh, that's neat. Also, that you're looking at the realism behind it all and what have you, you know. And.

[00:22:39] And like you say, when you know everyone's movements, literally, it's like, oh, yeah, I know exactly what they're going to ask before they come over, you know, and. And it's like we've come a long way also in different kinds of walkie talkies and. Yeah. Audio messaging to everybody. It's so different than I'm going to walk. You know, someone or the furious director is going to walk all the way from the top of the stadium to down below to say, why aren't you, you know, rogering me when I say copy? Right.

[00:23:09] Well, even on reality cruise. I mean, you look at those Hollyland headsets now. I mean, everybody's got multi-camera headsets, which is great. I mean, we used to, you know, you go from because the earpieces are fine, but they get so cumbersome. And I just hate I'm always wrapped up in them. I got my camera wrapped, tied up in them. Yes. Like this just sucks. Oh, that was like I hated. That's another reason I hated reality is because of the walkies and all that stuff. It's like, oh, man, just get headsets because I'm so used to live sports production with actual intercoms, you know, and so like, again, there's got to be a better way.

[00:23:38] And now that has bled over into the reality space. And I got no jealousy in my heart for any of these guys is like the best part of anything is adaptability is like the ones who survive. Same thing with learning how to use something. You know, there's a different app. If you don't want to use Photoshop, then use five other ones that are just as professional. You know, you don't want to use. Yeah. You know, all these other editing apps, there's a gazillion other ones you can use that will bit the bill and cameras. Same deal.

[00:24:07] It's just like, hey, if I know what I want, if we said this is what we're shooting on, that's what we're using. What's been your favorite camera to use? Oh, you know, ultimately, well, I love the whole I mean, I get the Aries, the whole Aries line. I'm spoiled because right for four months out of the year, I had like last year, I had an Alexa 35 at the house the whole time, the football season, because that's what we shoot on. And it's a beautiful camera. And you're shooting all these interviews on it. I'm like, OK, but realistically, that's not my price point.

[00:24:36] I mean, I mean, I'm happy I get to play with it. But honestly, it's new. But yeah, the one that's making me money. But the one that surprised me the most and I use the longest was my Panasonic EVA1. And I got some long legs out of that. And it helped me pay cash for my FX9 when I needed it. But I was like, I you know, like I said, my favorite camera to use is the one that's going to make me money on the next gig. I'm pretty flexible. I'll get out there. It's like, you know, I'll learn. I don't care what you do.

[00:25:05] It is annoying to have an explain that people is like you can balance both. You got to do a gig to then fund the one the project that you do have passion in, you know, just like I tell them all the time, five different jobs, you know, or you or you get that job, you know, it might not be the best. And I'm not to bash the people that do the work for the city government or whatever, you know, because everybody has their own little thing. But you get a gig like that, that, you know, you just do your nine to five on. But that's going to be the money to make you help you do your passion stuff on the weekend.

[00:25:33] I was telling them like you that's that's what you got to look at how much you're going to get more free time. You're going to know what time you have. And you might even get to use some of their gear, you know, if you do it right and you're right kind of a person, you know, the system will be like, hey, I need this to be used before we toss this or sell this. So exactly. And so I always say it might be the boring day job you have, but you got to look at what that affords you to do in your other life. And because if you're just I mean, or or then you go full bore into freelance and you

[00:26:03] just don't have that much free time and you got to hope the right cool project comes along for you. I don't know. I have a relative who works at Apple and he used to be part of AT&T crew. But that's so funny. These companies start taking other people who are on their way out at other companies is like, right, it's a trade off. So, I mean, all it takes is an assistant manager who's like, hey, I'm wasting my time here. So are you come with me? Right. Right.

[00:26:29] But I always and I tell to what I try to tell the college kids coming out and getting ready to graduate. Like you can do anything for a year and you got to look at to what what day job is going to give you the most to learn. Like I'm not saying like I wouldn't want to go work for a church, but I have because they've given me full reign of here. Go make this project, you know, from start to end. They're going to give you more opportunities because they need more people. So you got to look at the skills you're going to end that job with or leave from that job with. You got to look at the growth factor or what they're going to let you do.

[00:26:58] And it's like, again, a year goes so fast. Just just give it a chop. Bank some money. Buy your gear. You can just do the job and learn what you can and use them to teach you because you're going to get exposed to their editing systems and just get fluent on everything. And they've got good gear, which a lot of churches do. I mean, like I said, I just tell them just, you know, just don't overlook that opportunity. Right. And anybody can do anything for a year. Don't burn a bridge. Yeah.

[00:27:28] That's like the other day on LinkedIn, I think it was like a storage unit needed a social media content creator. But it's like, hey, you know, you could get you could actually look at the creativity you could have trying to market for just storage facility. I mean, you could now you go viral. Yeah. I mean, the possibilities are endless. But you got to look at it right the right way. But it's so true. I was talking to some other pal who was like, I was tempted at first to take this one movie that shifted to a different politics. I'm like, just put it on there.

[00:27:58] You know, don't politicize your career. You know, it's like but don't keep the door closed in if you're going to work on something regardless of what aisle it said at. You know, and I'm sure same thing with faith. It's like, hey, you know. Right. I can work on a Christian movie under a different name and then work on a Catholic movie. Yeah. About who works for what. Well, it's funny because a guy I work at I work. I do live camera for a church every Sunday.

[00:28:25] And one of the people that works with us, he's the engineer. He's Jewish. So, you know, like but, you know, he doesn't work on Saturday, but he works on Sunday, which is fine. And so, but it doesn't matter. So he's he's there to be an engineer and I'm there to be a camera operator. And maybe I don't fully, you know, I don't go all in on that face because I was raised a different faith. But, you know, whatever. It's like you always get something out of it. It's like at the end of the day, I get to check and let me do other things, you know.

[00:28:54] So amazing how we still have these conversations like, you know. Someone might make a stink and say, I only care about this and that is like, yeah, well. Well, it's on your resume. Yeah, it's on your resume. And your talent. And you got to remember, too, especially because, I mean, what we're getting you can make a million millions off of political spots. And if you can do it, if you can hold you if you can hold your nose and do both sides, both checks cash, man. They check they cash the same color.

[00:29:21] They want exactly as high tech as whatever's on, you know, cable TV. You know, take I'll take your money. It's funny, though, to how all these markets keep trying to predict. Oh, cable's coming back. Oh, streaming is declining. It's like, no, no, no. We're just the same way as we were with DVD and Blu-ray. It's not going away because it hasn't shown that it has no value. It'll still be there at the $10 Walmart bin.

[00:29:50] You know, it's like that's true. That's true. Video games will always be a thing. They're not going to be only digital unless they're out of print. You know, it's just like and commercials. Same thing. You're even if I don't see the visual version of it, it's still going to show up on a billboard or on a radio ad. Radio will always be around, you know, podcasts. It's just it's just spread out a little more. Right. And it's like, but nothing's going away. There's there's options. Yeah. Just like I said, my favorite jeans or shirt. Yeah.

[00:30:19] Even cameras. Look at how many cameras are in the market now. You know, back early on, it was just a few people making cameras. And now it's like, you know, you get a new one at NAB every year or whatever. It's just some new makers comes in or lights. I mean, you could you only had you could only have Aerie or Kino Flow. And now you got a zillion lights. Totally. I've got this little tube light that as a joke, I bought it. It's one of those inflatable tube lights.

[00:30:46] This is me and my backlight right now, but it's metal and it just sticks to things, which is cool. It's like that's like a Chinese lantern. Yeah, exactly. But I bought it for 50 bucks. It was what is it called? You let you Lansy. And I'm trying to I'm trying to I'm trying to do them or anything. But but it's pretty bright. I've spread. But it was, you know, tick tock by. I'm a I'm a light hoarder. It's really funny.

[00:31:15] It's like if it's under one hundred dollars and I think I could possibly use it somewhere. I'm like, oh, I'm getting that. I don't know. I just love lights. I find stuff on Teemu and everyone's like, oh, it's Wish.com. Like, where's the thing? No one talks about Wish.com anymore. But I'm always down for it. It's like trying new things. And you know that just like a break and you buy it. If it's five dollars, that's not. Yeah. If it works for one shoot, sweet. I get my money out of it. We'll return after these messages.

[00:31:48] We got a 90 minute weekly shack stop. It's growing all over the world. Find it at 2 p.m. And 10 p.m. Eastern time on Mondays. Then 3 p.m. On Wednesdays. Then 7 p.m. On Thursdays. You can catch it on many more radio stations. 99.9 KERB. 1 p.m. Central time. 2 p.m. Eastern on Mondays. Then catch the Encore on Thursdays at 5 p.m. Central time. 6 p.m. Eastern.

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[00:34:15] Sure. The better. I have 10 more of those. And when I started, and that's too what I tell people, it's like, you know, your lenses are something you're always going to spend money on because you can adapt those to any camera that comes out. So if you're going to spend the money, buy the lenses. Because, and then everything else is like, I bought, you know, I always call them, when I started out, I had Mr. Right Now lights. I knew they weren't going to be long-term. I knew they weren't going to hold their CRI. They were what I could afford at the time, but I knew I knew how to use them. And I knew I knew how to use them right and shape them right and get, you know,

[00:34:44] and make them work for me and make my money so I could buy Mr. Right. And I have a bigger package now. But, you know, so you got to be smart and spend your money where it really matters, like a lens, because the cameras are going to change. You can rent now with aperture rent. You can, you know, go over in Addison, pick up cameras, or, you know, lens rental, ship them in, whatever you need. But if you own lenses, that's a bigger market. Don't get fooled again. Wise trio known as the Who once said.

[00:35:14] But, hey, that's cool, though, too, that you're also just, you're always looking at the stuff and challenging yourself. And, you know, B&H photo video is a big one, but I'm sure there's a gazillion other camera shops that might even be way better, you know? Yeah. I mean, that's B&H is just your go-to, right? That's where everybody runs to. Or in film tools for the grip gear. Or you can buy it through Amazon. Yeah, exactly. Well, yeah, and I price them through both places, quite honestly. I see it at B&H.

[00:35:42] I'm like, does somebody sell them on Amazon shop? Yeah. And then, you know, and I buy, I also, I'm a big fan. I'll buy off Marketplace. I don't care. I mean, I was trying to buy a used FX6, and a used FX9 with a lens came along on Marketplace, and I could go put my hands on it and tested it, shot with it. He let me shoot with it for three hours. And I was like, all right, that was six grand. I'm like, well, I'm out. I'm taking this. I like how you use so many of these phrases, because they do totally apply to film.

[00:36:12] This is like, I'm in, I'm out. Well, what's been your favorite place to travel to? Because you've gone all over the nation. Have you gone out of the country? I have. So I guess, yeah. So I was working for a company called World Ventures, probably an MLM. Let me give you an epic LaFontaine voice. World Ventures. And so anyway, I had a friend of mine that was producing over there, and they had an in-house staff, but when they get too busy, they pulled me in.

[00:36:41] So I got to go to Guatemala. You're his gal. You're his gal. So on their higher end trips, they needed video proof. You know, this is all going on their website to try to entice people to buy into this pyramid. This is a real... Yeah. So, and you go along on the tours, but their higher-ups had these volunteers where you'd spend a lot of time volunteering in a certain community, and that was... And then you'd go to the second half, you'd actually get to go do some great things. So we went to... I got to go to Machu Picchu with that.

[00:37:10] So we did volunteer work in Cuscu. We were helping refurbish an orphanage and upgrade stuff in an orphanage, and then the last three days, we got to take the train to Machu Picchu and go up there. And so that was pretty cool. I mean, who doesn't like to get to see a wonder of the world and get paid for it? So I had a free trip and got paid for it. Yeah. And got to see one of the seven wonders of the world. So, and then I got to shoot... They needed me to go... That same company wanted me to go to Bali for them.

[00:37:38] So I got a trip to Bali to shoot yoga on the beach because it was an all-female trip. So they wanted to send a female camera operator so everybody felt comfortable and I was happy to go along. And I got to do all their events with them because I had to just, you know, I'm documenting the trip and showing... So the first two days I spent just shooting the resort they were staying at because they showed you, oh yeah, here's your resort. Here's your room. Here's your... So before I got to go to bed that night, I had to shoot the room, you know, for the website. Right. But it was, I mean, it was amazing.

[00:38:08] And then I got paid. And it was crazy cool. I guess the coolest thing I've done in the States though, I finally got to shoot a Super Bowl for NFL films. So that was two years ago in New Orleans. So to finally go to a Super Bowl and get paid to go to a Super Bowl was pretty badass. It has to be because, I mean, like you're... It's like everyone's coordinating. There's like, I guess, six units, I guess. Oh, we had 52 cameras just NFL films. Oh my word.

[00:38:38] But they have over 150 camera operators. So then you got to know all the cameras and what area they're lined up, I guess. Yeah, I mean, you get your position. They put you in your position and they tell you what you're shooting for the game. But it's because a lot of them are individual, like almost every single player is mic'd up. And so a lot of these cameras, a lot of us were just following that player, right? So that's... Right. It was like totally reality show style and we're on big long lenses throughout the stadium. Every shot matters until they tell you it doesn't. Yeah.

[00:39:07] Well, everything matters in the Super Bowl because you just don't know what's going to happen. And that's... And like they do tell us this, at films, and I've always appreciated this, it's that as an NFL films, outside of the military, we are the largest collectors of history because that's really what we do. We document history. Yeah. The military... There's many people who started up being Vietnam photographers and go for assistant correspondents. It is like, yeah, it's like... Yeah. That was one thing when I was... When I was starting out, I was like,

[00:39:36] oh, I'd love to do National Geographic because that would just be cool, you know, but I never... And then I realized I really didn't like snakes and bugs that much, so probably crawling through the jungles waiting for a bug to come out to shoot for National Geographic. So you do have a lot in common with the Indiana Jones. I hate snakes! I hate them! Exactly. It was like, that would be so awful. But I mean, I would... But you'd love to... Like, I'd love to go to Alaska and just shoot bald eagles for a while. But, you know, it's like... I do want to do... You know, I love stuff like that. The closest I've gotten is a shoot for the railroad company, BNSF. We were in an area

[00:40:06] with a lot of eagles and I did get to shoot an eagle. And they're like, the train's coming that we need to shoot. As a disclaimer, film the eagle. Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Sorry, yes. No, no eagles were harmed. They were captured on film. But it was... Just one in the window. And that was... And that was... That's also cool too, what I do for the railroad. Like, I do safety videos for the railroad, for BNSF Railroad, but we feature crews all over the country. So we just never know where we're going to wind up. And that particular one was in Oregon,

[00:40:35] somewhere, you know, and it was beautiful. And so the country, we get to see, you know, sometimes they need footage of their trains going through the snow. So in the middle of winter, we go to Montana and see... I mean, to see how they do the snow plows and stuff. I mean, that's so cool. That is cool because it's also a matter of is like, you can only set up here in this location to have it X amount of hours. So it is like five different challenges all at once. It's like... It is. Time. It is. So what a good take do you have on

[00:41:04] keeping track of time? Do you want... Recommend everyone have a clicker or a... Yeah, I mean, that's... I mean, anymore, I've been in it so long, it's my gut. I'm looking around, it's like, okay, we gotta get on. I usually... Just 20 minutes is too long, you know? Yeah, for some things, it's like, okay, we gotta... I guess mostly what I'm looking at with talent is there's a point of diminishing returns. You can only work a talent really, realistically, so long before it's just hurting. There's no amount

[00:41:34] of retakes and you know that you can tell too if you've been shooting, if you've been filming long enough or you've been directing long enough when that talent is just too tired to do that again and now they're in their own head and especially with unprofessional talent like in a corporate situation, sometimes you just gotta cut that off because there's not gonna get any better. You got it on the second take, the eighth take, we're hurting everybody's feelings here.

[00:42:04] So I don't know, to me it's more talent driven for me. I'm glad you bring that up. Because the two takes thing is just a saying and it's like, but if it takes five to make it better, sure, but if it's gonna take 40, then yeah, now we're overthinking this. It's like, yeah. And you'll know probably about what you're doing. If you're paying attention, if you're really, if you really care about everybody on the set, you know, and you know when to just say, yeah, all right, we got it moving on. And then sometimes, you know, you move on to something else and you

[00:42:34] can come back and re-get that without them knowing. A thousand percent is like, okay, I'm going to film some B-roll of them since the narration is fine, but they keep looking at the teleprompter, you know, just all kinds of stuff. And because like you say, they're not actors. It's no different than reality TV talent where it's like, okay, you know, when they start picking their nose here, you know, even though they're told them not to, let's go to the shot of their beautiful partner, you know, hanging out with the kids, blah, blah, blah, and this beautiful 360 shot of a house. You know,

[00:43:04] it's just like there are times where I have had some friends who've worked with all kinds of film sets. It's like, yeah, the performance so they just picked a better shot. It's like, hey, that. And sometimes you can also you also I made you look better. Well, yeah, but the and sometimes during that, like if you go off to shoot some other things, you can make them feel more comfortable and then if there's a way to get back to to that interview, you know, you come back and then all of a sudden they know

[00:43:33] you're you're there for them and they feel seven. Yeah. And then yeah, and then they might be able to just spit it out. And it's great because all of a sudden it with you, with the director, you know, and that's it's I always said you probably should have majored in psychology to do film and video because you know, trying to work with either director or talent, whether non professional reality or professional. I mean, you just kind of know how to talk to people and you got to feel you got to be able to feel out somebody's

[00:44:03] personality really quick. So I think a lot of psychology classes in college would help out a lot more with that. I'm glad you brought up psychology. I really dislike it heavily when I meet someone who goes just mentioned something from that or sociology. I'm like, no, no, no, you've been watching a criminal profiling show way too long. That's not what that term means. It's kind of like I had to remind myself. It's like, oh, yeah, you know, like difference between being mentally, you know, retarded or

[00:44:33] having an actual illness, you know, that is so different. Yeah, right. And many will associate it like, no, no, no. So, yeah, when you see someone saying, oh, psychology, I can read you. I'm like, it's not that easy. No, and it's not and that's really not what I meant. You can feel it and you just know because it teaches you really just how to how you change your approach to get more out of somebody or to make somebody comfortable. Oh, totally. Like my sister is terrible at reading a room. I'm, I'm OK.

[00:45:03] I get to like, OK, I see him giving me the stuck up look. I don't want to go near him. Right. He's probably not even mad at me. He's just looking my general direction. But if he looks at me five times, then, yeah, he's looking at me. But if he or she is buzzing off into space, they just got something on their mind there. They got some utter insecurities going on. It's kind of like identify a bully in the room. Identify. Yeah. Or just that, you know, the hot mess. You're like, oh, no, I'm not going over there. Yeah. Because you could see one of those walking.

[00:45:32] And if five assistants have quit, please don't call me either. You know? Yeah. Yeah. That's the other thing. That's at that point, the boss comes down and they read. I was going to say, too, like, that's another one of those red flag things. Like, if you're getting called the night before, they're like, oh, our camera operator just, you know, either quit the show or called out. And it's like, you get to wonder as well. It's like, how did you tell him exactly? Yeah. You know, that's not my monkeys, not my circus. I'm booked. I just sorry. I'm already booked. That's the safe answer.

[00:46:02] Because I was like, no, sorry. Because if you're calling, if you're reaching out to a bunch of people at eight o'clock the night before you shoot, something's going on there. I was on some bad ones where they decided, oh, well, so we were offering you 400. It's now 250. I'm like, come back to me when you can get your numbers straight. Yeah. And you're fighting. In other words, please don't call me. Yeah. Yeah. Especially this guy was crazy. He was calling people at like four in the morning, nonstop. I'm like, when do you sleep? Yeah.

[00:46:32] Because then you got to wonder, yeah, there's a whole nother world going on over there. So I can't come back to me when it's unplanned. But yeah, and yeah, I'm not trying to make you sound like a psychologist, but it's like you're just identifying kind of like, yeah, if I was talking to you right now, my hands were all over the place. You'd be like, whoa, dude, those little small things that just turned into bigger things. Right. And that comes with time over just dealing with, you know, you don't notice you're recognizing a pattern, but you will if you're in

[00:47:02] this business long enough, you know that those last minute calls, you know that something is just going on over there. We did this at my security day job the other day. We found out this person, she and her so-called husband were doing a lot of scams. And so she faked a car wreck with a company car. We didn't buy it because the company car was perfectly intact. She wanted to do a fake insurance scam, but we already had some other red lights where we would just properly address her like as

[00:47:32] officer. Oh, just call me Mrs. and then, oh, call me Miss. She couldn't even keep the lie straight. I'm like, well, hold on a sec. I thought you said you were married. Is it Miss or Mrs.? Oh, just call me officer. Okay. Weird. Yeah. And so, yeah, regardless of even if someone's putting on an axe, like, okay, but regardless of what talent you're working with, yeah, if I see them

[00:48:07] unspecified role is like, well, I'm sorry, no one told me. That's true. And then sometimes those people, you know, if you're lucky enough to get on bigger commercials and you get bigger stars and stuff and like, oh, don't talk to this, blah, blah, blah. It's, I find it is always their people. It's never them themselves because once you get alone with them and you're, you know, they're just, we're just doing the actual take. They're all cool as hell and, you know, afterwards they want to shake your hand and everything but their people are like, ooh, that's like, once you get

[00:48:36] their people out of the way. Adding more mystery to something that shouldn't be a mystery. It's like, just, you can come up to them and ask them something, just don't ask for an autograph or other bullshit. Yeah, it's like, you know, you gotta know, it's like, you're there as another professional. He's a, that talent's a professional, I'm a professional and that's how they expect to be met, you know, so, and that's fine. I don't, photos with people that I've been, you know, that I've been involved in the shoots on and every once in a while you get somebody

[00:49:06] that'll be like, yeah, it's photo, picture time, like, in an interview, like, AMS, when, when President George Bush, when he first got out of office, we were always, we were on record to go down with them. We had all our background clearances and we would do all his little videos he wanted to do from his office and after every shoot he'd be like, oh, it's picture time, come on crew, and so, you know, that was, that was cool when they do that, but then, you know, at this point, the person's no longer, you know, the so-called celeb, there's a different thing, and it's funny you mention that, I,

[00:49:36] I look at the kind of camera work they use for, like, masterclasses, even just a Patreon videos, like, everyone's putting money into wherever matters, you know, which is pretty much everywhere. Yeah, yeah, now, yeah. Go fund me, it would help if you had a good video. Probably. That's true. Instead of just a story. I mean, everybody's gonna get a story, but you gotta be able to write, too. It helps. Do you, when you're watching a movie, have to turn off

[00:50:07] the film objective side of you? Because there's times where I'm like, I can't watch this, the camera's shaking too much, or the sound next thing is off. I'll have to, in the other, yes, but on the other side of it, like, I love to watch live, live things, like, oh yeah, watch an award show, because I want to count how, yeah, I want to count how many times they take the wrong camera. I want to see how many times somebody's caught in a switch pan. So, you know, especially when we were using zoom is like, oh, we got no chance. Yeah, it was so ugly how they were doing ads and you could tell they had just zoomed in on it, like,

[00:50:36] but I'll be pretty good watching something until something's out of focus, because I grew up as an AC and I'm just like, okay, I get it. You could have rolled, you could have not rolled. There's no excuse. You're getting, you got one job and I'm sure this was the only take that, this is the only take the line was right. It's out of focus. Yeah. So, it's out of place or, you know, just the lighting seems off for the scene and I'm just like, nah, I'm done now. It's like, I'm out. Even before that, I would see even Bruckheimer type

[00:51:06] productions. I'm like, ah, you're just encouraging more music video hackery is like, it doesn't have to look this. And a friend that used to always have this summer, everything blows up, you know, from Michael Bay. It was just explosion after explosion. What do you really have to do? Just blows shit up. That's great. Totally. But yeah, it's a lot of those type of movies though. And I love like the really bad movies like San Andreas, like stuff like that. Oh yeah. I'll watch those all the time

[00:51:35] because it's just so bad. It's just fun because then you get to count what are the tropes work or not for the genre. Just like a bad slasher movie versus a good one. A good mystery versus a convoluted one. I have somewhere friends are like, I'm going to have to unfriend you. I'm like, okay, then tell me why the twist works. That emotional over something that was a big sense. You just don't get it. What did I not get? Maybe I'm awful. I took a screenwriting class. It's like they broke a rule that

[00:52:05] you just can't break. Oh, I like people who break the rules. I'm like, I'm telling you, if you think this back, it doesn't add up. There's no fun. Well, maybe I'm not, but yeah, just got to let it go after a while. It's like, right. I'm glad you like it. I'm so, so some I just succumb to, you know, right. You just, you just love those. Like, you know, you got to share independence days. All that's kind of stuff. Like I said, San Andreas. Yeah. They're kind of like now they're just like kind of like comfort food.

[00:52:35] You just go back and you're just like, it's like putting on an old sweater. I don't know. It's funny when you encounter a snob who doesn't like a certain genre and then you ask them some of their favorite movies. I'm like, huh, interesting. Half those go in that genre you claim you don't like. Right. What are we doing here? Yeah, that's funny. Yeah, a game show could count as a reality show if you want, if you want to get that technical. True. I'll watch my favorite game shows. Come on, price is right. Millionaire, set me up. Yeah, I want to actually get the question right.

[00:53:06] Got motivation. In addition to the cool gaffing and the catchy theme song. Let's see, I'd like to still work on some of those, the bigger studio shoots, you know, I never made it to like a big like comedy, you know, sitcom, multi-camera sitcom, which I would love to work on. Oh, that'd be great. Yeah. Every actor who's worked on something like that kind of describes it as theater in the park. It's like, yeah, you're getting an instant reaction, but you can tell who's the writer laughing at their jokes versus the actual.

[00:53:37] I mean, I love to shoot like live, live to tape kind of things like that anyway. And, you know, I've done other like talk show style shows and new style shows, of course, and then sports. But yeah, I just think it would be fun to use those big studio pads and, you know, just come into the studio. It's always pre-lit, you know, you're moving between your three or four sets and right. I don't know. I just love to do that. That that's my one bucket list. What else could we ask for? Yeah. Yeah. Maybe someday I'll head out to LA. Well, not that they're making them in LA anymore. They're all over the world, right? But I'm glad that's not the

[00:54:07] case anymore. It used to be choose New York, choose LA, choose a dwindling state like Texas or another big city like that doesn't always do it like Chicago. Right. No, and you're right. They are now it is spread out all over because, I mean, you know, Atlanta had their hate. It should have been. It should have always. It should have never been exclusive. Yeah, it should have never been exclusive to Hollywood. But then you get the others who were like, we're the best. And it's like some of those people were too proud and others were just like kind of the same people saying, oh, clearly shot in Canada. It's like,

[00:54:37] well, it doesn't have to be bad. No, it's a shot there. It's just you should only be bad if just everything else is laughing production wise. So, I mean, there's there's qualified film people everywhere. I always hate that they take their keys with them everywhere they go. It's like, you know, give us a shot. I mean, we're give us a shot. Well, there's locals that are good everywhere. Well, because you look, I mean, I love that Taylor Sheridan's doing all the stuff over there, but still all his main, like the DP and he's moving on to something else. So, yeah, well,

[00:55:07] but he brought one for for the first part, like 1883. He bought he brought all his keys in from L.A., which sucks, you know, for us, because it's like I am, you know, I'm a great camera operator and, you know, I get a shot at it. But but you're totally right. It's kind of like with the success of certain blockbusters, they want to imitate, but not know why it was good. It was like just right or music. Music was the worst in 2000s where it was like sound just as loud as or over the top as these guys. It's like, so I can't tell these five bands apart. Right.

[00:55:36] I can't tell half these, you know, metal or pop or they could be any of them. They're using the same tools and traits and I need it. I need it. I need something to cue me in besides how you look, how you sound, you know, right, right, your qualifications, your singing versus being auto tuned. Yeah. Have you I've been wanting to get back and do more music videos. Have you ever

[00:56:06] wanted to do any music videos? No, I mean, I like I did them all in high, you know, did high school and college. But as I got older, it's like, I'm just I wasn't down for that world. Story driven. Yeah, exactly. It's like it would be loose the right project. Look, if I had a friend that was still in a band, I would probably still do it for fun like that. But I don't know. Yeah. No, it's fine. I'm not. Yeah. You make really good money and do a lot. I prefer it over shorts, but sure. Sure. Again, a PSA might even

[00:56:35] be better. I don't know. Yeah, I'm more like, yeah, I'm more branded content kind of person. PSA is commercials. That's where I that's my jam. It will be seen by everybody. Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, a lot of it's like, I think to do a good music video, hey, you've got to be a fan of that style of music. I think you're doing the band a disservice and stuff like that if you're not. I mean, or you at least be super adaptable to every kind of music. It could be a road diary, but it should be something more too instead of a disconnected story with

[00:57:05] random visuals. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. That's why with shorts too, it's like you read the script. I'm like, oh, my heart just wouldn't be in this one. So, you know, it's like, yeah, I don't know. At that point, it's even hard to know what it will be. You know, if it's well, yeah, this or that at 5050. I'm like, well, who's saying the line? Yeah. So, I don't know. But I guess with AMS, though, too, I just got more into corporate and I realized that that's a really good place to pay the bills and then I could do

[00:57:35] other things outside. Even training videos or something. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, all that stuff is valuable. It's like, I don't mind. We do, like at Toyota, what our department does is mainly it's dealer facing stuff. So we're training the trainers, right? We're showing the new cars as they come out, all their new features. I mean, we're doing high end, looks like commercials. We got everything we got to shoot these cars, dollies, all kinds of stuff. I mean, we're doing it right, but it's just dealer facing.

[00:58:05] It's great. I love it. But I don't care. It's like every dealer in America sees what we're doing. And, you know, we have the host on camera and everything looks great, but we're using the VR walls and and then we're just we get snorkel lenses inside the car. So I'm like, man, this is great. I'm like, it's a commercial without the pressure of being a commercial. Right. You know, and I don't get it. I'll train you guys all day long on the new features of the new Lexus. It's great. And I get to see the cars for all you guys. Right.

[00:58:35] But it's just funny how many different niches are out there for everybody. I mean, just it's crazy because I know just because then I could like so I do a lot of work at Toyota through AMS and that's what we do over there. But I have a company out of New York called Bader Bader Media and they just hired me because they do they do reality shows for it was it was Motor Trend now it's Discovery turbo TV. I don't know, but we were over at Toyota. So we were over doing a special at Toyota. We had a host on camera and they you know,

[00:59:04] then we did a couple of interviews. So we did a whole TV show over there. So it's just so crazy how you how much stuff can go on at one different company. What's on your bucket list? Yeah. Oh, bucket list. Oof. Well, I knocked off the Super Bowl. That was one of them. Done all kinds of corporate ones, ones that are really rewarding and also just are you're kind of is like this is going to be really fun. I'm going to make this person in a suit. Well, I would honestly one of those I would love to work a really big like I would love to work on like

[00:59:34] an Oscar like run camera for like Oscars or something like because I want to be part of that multi camera crew. I guess that's a sitcom. That'd be great. Yeah, the sitcom is really one of them. And plus you'll be getting a check for that for till the end of time. Right. Exactly. Because I did change the three year role to the four year role for syndication. Was that when it just got more competitive? Yeah, I think so. I forget exactly when that happened. I'm just like puzzled and like, so what if it was four years because there were plenty of those that

[01:00:04] did kind of the four year runs, but then no one wanted it. They're just like, yeah, we don't want that kind of programming anymore. I'm like, oh, well, yeah, and that's the problem with the smaller networks, right? The executive head leaves and then they decided to change the whole nature of that channel. Then you get the antenna channels and they're playing stuff. I'm like, where was this re-airing, you know, 20 years ago? Right. Tune in and set the VCR. So, yeah, I think mine is just a big scale multi-camera show like the Oscars or the American country, well,

[01:00:33] not the country music award, but they had like CMT awards. Or like the Grammys. Yeah, something live like that I would love to do. Yeah, just that. I have gotten to do the red carpet� for the Academy of country music awards when it was here in Dallas the last three years. So I was doing red carpet stuff, which was fun, a lot of fun, but like to be inside doing the real show. He can't be the only one. So, yeah, that's where I'd like to that's what I

[01:01:03] still need to do since I've done the Super Bowl. If you have five takeaways for anyone wanting to get into any type of film world, what are those takeaways? It's your only gatekeeper these days and, you know, and I my biggest thing is I'm always out to I never want to it's a collaborative thing. And if I don't leave myself open to learn from some everybody approaches differently, nobody's wrong. It's like there's more

[01:01:33] than one way to get anywhere and I'm always open to listen because I'm like, ooh, that's a good, you know, I don't care because somebody right out of college might have a really good idea and if I'm too stuck up in my head to not see that then I'm missing out. So remember it's a collaborative thing and never walk, never walk on thinking you're the, you know everything because you know, we don't and it's a collaborative effort to an extent. And then to that end, if you're brand new, know where you are in the pecking order and how to go up the

[01:02:03] chain. Like you don't report directly to the director. You've got a department head. Know how to use that and active listening on set. It's like if you see a meeting with the, it's not eavesdropping, but if you see the director and DP pointing and talking things, you better get over there. That way you're going to know because you're going to know what you need to start packing up. You need to know, you know, what's coming because you're going to look really cool if you've got that light already moving because you heard them saying it or you're just standing there with it with everything ready to go.

[01:02:34] As long as it's not a heated debate. Yeah, right. And it's like you can tell when it's when it's about where we're going. It's like, you know, and so, I don't know, I like the active listening. Sound, rolling. And then I'm going to always go with the, if you're, you know, the be early to set when the call time. I always told people be ready to work when the call time says if you want, if you need to check your email, if you need to get coffee, if you need to eat breakfast, get there early, but be ready to work at eight o'clock. That's,

[01:03:03] that's all I say. And, you know, and I'm always early. Everybody I know is early. 15 minutes early. That's, that's on time to me, but that's just me. But also, I said the wrong one. Sorry, speed. Yeah, I think those are big takeaways. And, you know, and I think these days it's so easy to get your own content out there. You need to be practicing just as much as you need to be working for somebody. You know, we're in a,

[01:03:34] we're lucky to be in such a time where we can get our footage out in front of people, whether it's on Instagram or YouTube. I mean, we are our own broadcast channels these days. Just don't forget that. Yeah. Oh, man. And like you say, it's like just having to kind of remind everybody just courtesies and I'm glad you brought up a lot of the whole don't be the smartest guy in the room. It's like that's going to turn into ego or just some other misinterpretation. Oh, you think you're hot shit.

[01:04:04] It's like, no. I may have done it a long time, but I don't know where you grew up or how you came up the chain and you might have, you might have the shortcut I've always been looking for. So I'm always out to learn at least one thing new from somebody on a set. So that's just me. If I walk away from a shoot having to learn something or having something confirmed that I do that I'm like, okay, they do that too? Cool. Then I'm, you know, sometimes that's good in my world. Yeah. So, yeah, that's the biggest thing.

[01:04:33] I like to be a sponge. I want to even as long as I've been in it. If I'm second camera on a big NFL films interview shoot, I'm there to just do second camera, but I am watching what everybody's doing and how they're lighting it and how the DPs work. And you just never know when you're going to learn that. And I'm never going to sit there and go, well, I would have done it different. No, I want to see how they do it. They're coming from a whole different world. They're coming from the East Coast. I've never worked with this person before and I want to

[01:05:02] see how they like to light things. And maybe I'll take that away. A lot of times I do. I mean, it helps to have someone who also can just be like, hey, let's take our hand out of the cookie jar. We're getting too comfortable. We're getting too safe, which means something's wrong. I've never had that suspicion. It's too easy, which means something else is off, like a light bulb broke. Yeah, there's all kinds of shoots like that. We're just like, this is

[01:05:32] something's off. We didn't get it. Cameras were rolling. They were too afraid. They hope anyone would find out. I was like, well, they'll know when they get there. That's the thing. You gotta own that stuff, too. If you don't own that stuff, you own it right then and there, you can still fix it without spending millions of dollars to reshoot it. I'd rather go, oh, crap, I double punched. I've done that. Everything we all have, if somebody says they

[01:06:02] haven't done a double punch at some point and actually not rolled on a take, then I'm sorry. You have. Everybody has. It's just a matter of did you own it? Yeah. Well, you gotta fail to get good. Yeah. As long as you don't take the camera lens cover home or something. Right. Or just drop things. I'm so proud of all my years of being in AC. I only lost one lens cap and that was my own lens cap once I was a DP. At least it was

[01:06:32] yours. Yeah, exactly. That's what I said. No one else was like, who talked about it wasn't a rental. It was mine. Do you have any events you're looking forward to that you're like, I would love to film there? Oh, well, luckily I did get called. I got a game for the World Cup. I'm doing some sideline stuff with Austria. So that I would have said,

[01:07:02] if had I not had that, I would say, yeah, I wish I was on the World Cup. Now, that was hard. I got it through a producer I used to work for out in Denver. He just had a friend calling him for anybody else. And I got past that name because it's really hard right now to find out who's crewing for the World Cup stuff. And I know a lot of people are looking. I don't know how I accidentally got this gig. So I'm happy I'm on the World Cup now. I will say, I guess bucket list, the Summer Olympics are coming

[01:07:32] to LA. I would shoot anything, table tennis, whatever, gymnastics. I would love gymnastics or the equestrian because I grew up horse riding. I would do anything to get on the Olympics, whether softball, baseball, whatever. They're doing the canoeing, they're building something in Oklahoma City to do the canoeing. I'll go up there. I'd love to work on the Olympics coming up. Totally. And then just reminding everybody, hey, I'm here. Yep.

[01:08:02] So I'll start putting that out there on LinkedIn probably as soon as the World Cup wraps up because that'll be the next big thing. So right not to mention just also reminding them, hey, you know, yeah, and you got to do that. You got to that's the one thing nobody knows who you got to be able to advertise yourself. You really do in this day and age because you just I mean, if you've got any sort of real and you want to get anywhere,

[01:08:31] you got to get out there in front of people. You got to tell them what you can do. I mean, they're safe and sorry. I mean. Gone are the days of sitting at home and hoping somebody finds your website. You got to be proactive. Yeah, get active in the groups. Go ahead and advertise yourself where you can or just be there. Be the one giving good answers in some of these groups. You know, you can't advertise yourself, but if you give enough solid answers and solid critiques and you're participating in some of these Facebook groups, people are going to know you and

[01:09:04] these groups. So I promise I will reach out to you one of these days. Sweet. I got to actually make sure the dominoes aren't going to fall apart. And make sure everyone else is ready to do this. And I'm not just the only guy doing all the different back and forth conversations. Sweet. Oh, no, that's a delight and glad you're satisfied with it. And. It's never not busy, especially when you've got those contracts open, so that's cool.

[01:09:34] Yeah, thanks for thanks for taking the time to talk to me. I really appreciate it. It's been fun and, you know, good luck, everybody out there. I mean, it's your world to have. That's the other annoying thing to have to also tell people, too, is like, I'm fine if you don't if you say I'm annoyed if someone says I don't know, but if they at least just give a little more understanding, like, here's what I've tried. I hope you have success with that. But your guess is as good as mine. That's a little more substance. Yeah. Now, there's many paths there and no path is wrong. If you're getting out there in front of people and you're actually

[01:10:04] making content, then no path is wrong. I'm not going to tell you that that's not the way to do it because that's not the way I do it, but that doesn't I don't know everything. I don't know. You know, that's not my lane, but it might be yours. And, you know, but we're all out there. A thousand percent. And just making sure life doesn't get away from you and taking time in between the shoots. So it's not absolutely you need to, you know, don't want to use the yeah, fresh air and family, right? You know, or whether

[01:10:33] that's chosen family or real family, but there are people around. Get back in and be present in events. Don't miss every event to do this, to do what we do. You're going to regret that in the long run. So I mean, because at the end of the end of the day, your families, who's going to, like I said, whether that's chosen or real family, they're the ones that are going to be taking care of you. And, you know, you want to have those connections. You need to have those connections. So don't lose sight. Just movies. That's the other thing, too. I've been filming movies, so I'm not in a movie mode.

[01:11:03] I've been in front of a camera all day. Well, that's it. That's the funny thing. Like we go on vacation and I will not if I can't shoot on my phone, I'm not taking anything with me as like in my if my mother-in-law is like, oh, I've got this video camera. Will you shoot some stuff for me? And I turn around. No, that's what I do for a living. That is not what I'm going to do on vacation. Yeah, because she's like, oh, but you're so good. I'm like, yeah, because that's my job. Yeah, don't do too little. Yeah. Yeah. That's it. It's funny. But I won't take a big camera on vacation.

[01:11:34] Yeah, it's funny. Tiny. Just my phone. Yeah. It's the tiny one or an Osmo, you know, it's like if you want to get some. But anyway, and then if anyone wants to talk to you, it's like, call me when I get back two days to the office. And and and that's another thing we really do have to start. I mean, we always answer, right? Because because the work you have to. I know. And then you just like you're supposed to be taking that time for yourself and you're with your family and or you're with

[01:12:03] wherever just enjoying yourself whether you're on camping trip or whatever. It's like sometimes you just got to lock the phone up and you just got to enjoy your time. It's like. we're all going to miss that shoot. It's they'll call you back. You know, it will suck. But at the same time, you can't lose sight of what's around you and the beauty in the world right here, you know, right around you. So sometimes you just got to put it aside and go, you know what? I'm taking a true vacation from this work. As long as I didn't miss nine, it should be OK. Right. And it's like,

[01:12:33] you know, when you're going to take a vacation that you're going to miss something. So just just quit looking and just enjoy where you're at and don't worry about social media all day. Same deal is like got to tap out. Yeah, I mean, yeah, you got it. You got to get out of the screens when you're when you can. Good to know. Good to know. This was a delight. It really was because it's like we got to keep reminding others who make this their day jobs, like how they space it out, how they

[01:13:05] multiply the finances with the emotional reward and how they make your heroes look great on screen. Yep. We're lucky to do what we do, really. Yeah. When you think about it, we are the circus. It's a very interactive one. Yeah. One you won't forget anytime soon. That's good. Right. But good luck to everybody out there. Thanks for listening. Look her up on social media, maybe hit her up with a project.

[01:13:36] If you're serious. Or I'm always happy to give critiques or tips or tricks. Don't hesitate to reach out. I'm always looking to help the next person to get their foot in the door. Thanks for having me. I really appreciate it. Thank you for keeping the balance and giving me hope for the world. No, that's really great stories. Follow us on the web on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

[01:14:05] The podcast is available on Podbean, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Anchor, Apple, and anywhere else podcasts are available. Feel free to review our show and leave comments on any of those sites. Thanks a million for listening. It's a jacked up radio show. It's a jacked up jacked up